


Undying Promise

by Deahal



Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Aasimar, Gen, Ghosts, Vignette, Warlocks, ghost child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28426590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deahal/pseuds/Deahal
Summary: “We’re going on adventures when we grow up. Promise.”But she didn't get to grow up.





	Undying Promise

Hyel didn’t need to look up to know the approaching footsteps were Trin running away from her responsibilities. She dropped beside where he lay, hidden from the village’s eyes by the hillock’s slope. Their spot whenever they needed solitude.

“Hey Trin. What’s up?”

“Dada caught my lying about my dresser drawers, and he’s making a big deal about it!”

Hyel laughed – of course she was neglecting her chores. He hoped her dada hadn’t told her to behave more like her dutiful best friend again. “What sorta big deal?”

“He’s mixing it up with breaking promises and saying stuff like, what if he lied when he married Mum and Poppy? And how am I supposed to get married if I can’t keep my word, but I didn’t promise to fold my clothes before putting them away! No one cares what’s in my dresser. And I keep telling him I don’t want to get married anyway but he says we have to keep the family going even though my siblings can have enough kids –”

Grabbing her hand, Hyel interjected, “Whoa, whoa, take a breath. Tell me what shapes you can see in the clouds, okay?”

While Trin focused on the sky, Hyel caressed her knuckles with his thumb. His zizi always used distractions and touch to calm him, and it worked on her too. Finally she pointed above them. “That one’s a jumping dog, and that one’s a flower growing out of an imp, and that one’s upside down, but it’s a sailboat.”

“Good. So are you upset about being caught or about the marriage thing or what?”

“Dada doesn’t listen. Ever since Hymn found out she was infertile, Dada’s been really insistent that the rest of us will have lots of kids when we get older. Hymn didn’t even care that much!”

Hyel thought about Mr. Caelius and what his parents had said about him. “He was probably really excited about grandkids when Hymn married, and now he has to wait longer. Plus, Mama and Zizi say he thinks our village has to keep growing our population for ‘Pelor’s glory’ or something.”

“But I don’t want to!”

Shrugging, Hyel offered, “He’ll probably forget by the time you grow up anyway. Maybe Blessing will have lots of kids and that’ll be enough so you and Divine don’t have to worry about it.”

“You better be right. If not,” Trin paused, mouth quirking in mischief, “then I’ll just have to marry you.”

“Ew, no way! Girls aren’t even cute.” He shoved her.

Shoving back, she said, “If I have to marry someone I don’t want to, so do you!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It totally does.”

“Nuh-uh, not even a little.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Whatever, you butt.” They lapsed into companionable silence before Hyel asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up anyway? For serious. Don’t say marry me.”

“Something Dada, Mum, and Poppy won’t like.” She rolled onto her side to face Hyel. “I want to leave the village and go on adventures like in the stories.”

His eyes lit up at the idea. “Really?”

“Yeah! Maybe I’ll fight demons or something, but I just want to go see other places and be a hero.”

“That’s so cool! Way better than my plans.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Well, Zizi says I can work with them in the store when I get older, and Mama says if I get really strong I can join the forest patrol...”

Pouting at his unenthusiastic answer, Trin pushed, “But what do you _want_?”

For a moment Hyel considered. Though he had never given much thought to the future, with Trin, finding or creating fun was easy. Even adulthood sounded better when she put her spin on it. Finally he said, “I think I want to go on adventures too.”

“Then it’s decided! When we’re grown up, we’re going together.”

“Hey Trin, you better not be lying about this like your messy dresser,” Hyel joked.

Giggling, she shoved him. “I’m not! This is way more important!” Then she offered her pinky. “We’re going on adventures when we grow up. Promise.”

Looping their pinkies together, Hyel agreed, “Promise.”

A distant shout broke their peace. “Trinity Love Caelius!”

Trin scowled as Hyel whispered, “You must be in trouble if your mum used your whole name.”

“I better go before my fathers start looking for me. See ya later Hyel!”

* * *

The dream ended abruptly, thrusting Hyel from sleep. It was a perfect replica of his memory and so vivid – a message from Ori? Then he saw the face looming over him, no older than the day she died.

Lurching back, he stammered, “T-T-Trin?”

Beaming, she singsonged, “Happy birthday Hyel!”

“Uh, thanks? What are you doing here? I mean how? You can’t be…”

Trin’s ghost shrugged. “I’m here because we promised to go on adventures.”

And the memory found new meaning. Today, he was “grown up.”

“It’s really you?” he whispered, old grief strangling his voice.

She sat next to him, incorporeal legs phasing into the mattress. But he could imagine her hand solid as she took his and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “Of course it’s me, who else?”

“Pelor’s light, I missed you.”

She smiled. “Then come with me! I’m back for a reason, right? Take me on adventures like you promised!”

“I don’t exactly have many adventuring skills. After you, uh, left, there wasn’t any point in learning them. I didn’t even bother trying for the forest patrol.”

“So you’ve been a shopkeep all this time?” asked Trin. At Hyel’s glum admittance, she said, “Well, I’ll just have to share some of my power! Now come on, daylight’s burning!” And she dragged him out of bed toward his promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Child death is super dark, but ghost kids are my favorite.


End file.
